


Olympic worth friendships

by Ineffablemurderhusbands



Category: Free!, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Competition, Innuendo, M/M, Swimming, Yuuri used to have the biggest crush on Rin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 14:57:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18853381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineffablemurderhusbands/pseuds/Ineffablemurderhusbands
Summary: Yuuri used to be a member of the Iwatobi swim club when he was younger.





	Olympic worth friendships

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what is this fanfic but I hope you enjoy. Please leave kudos and comments if you do. 
> 
> All mistakes are mine.

Living in Saint Petersburg was easier than Yuuri thought it would be. The freezing weather was rough but so was the weather in Japan during Winter. He wasn’t particularly fazed by living with someone either, since Phichit used to be a messier roommate than Victor could ever be. But also, Yuuri did not used to sleep in the same room and bad as Phichit or kissed and had sex with him for that matter. Doing those things with Victor was a bonus in the whole roommate arrangement that he wasn’t used to but loved with every fiber of his being. He loved Victor with every fiber of his being so that was that. 

It was a bit strange hearing a different language every day that he had no experience with and his new rinkmates were a lot different from the ones he had in Detroit but Yuuri ended up realizing that he fitted right in with Victor being extra, Georgi being dramatic, Yurio being a moody teenager and Mila being a prankster and a tease. Yuuri was the sanest of them all, as Yakov liked to say. The Japanese skater was the mother hen of the group and he managed to handle everyone plus Yakov’s and Lilia bickering with ease and poise. Life was good for Yuuri right now. He was actually happy, even with his anxiety and self-doubt. 

It was early in the morning that day and he was already inside the rink, warming up on the ice, before doing a run through of his program. Victor was talking with Yakov or the side of the rink and the rest of the rinkmates were doing laps on the ice and bickering with each other. All was normal. 

After his warm up, Yuuri started to run through his new choreography of the season while Victor was still busy to give him notes. He started not doing any jumps and just familiarizing himself with it, since a few places were still being worked on. But soon Yuuri lost himself in the music playing inside his head and started training the full choreography. His theme for the season was freedom and he was fully on board on how his short skate looked so far. Yuuri and Victor still weren’t sure about the free skate, although they had some ideas. 

As soon as Yuuri finished the program he heard clapping in a distance and he blushed before he even knew who was clapping for him. Yuuri turned around and gasped, blushing even more. 

“Yuuri!” 

There, on the other side of the rink, off the ice, stood the group of friends he never thought he would see again. Rin, Makoto, Nagisa, Haru and Rei. They looked older, of course, but so did Yuuri. The Japanese skater looked flabbergasted at his middle and high school friends. 

“Guys?” He started skating towards them, without even noticing he was doing it. He was still a bit dazed at the sight of them. “What are you doing here?” Yuuri noticed the curious looks of the Russian team, especially from Victor, who had stopped paying attention to Yakov and the coach looked very close to bite his head off. 

Before anyone could answer Nagisa ran and jumped on Yuuri, wrapping his legs and arms around him, just like he used to do when they were teens. Thank God, Nagisa was still tiny and light, even if he was a bit taller and heavier from what he used to be in middle school, so Yuuri was still able to brace himself on his skates and hold the little boy (man?) on his arms. Yuuri was glad he had become stronger as he aged as well. 

“Yuuri-senpai! I missed you so much!” He sobbed into Yuuri’s shoulder and Yuuri patted his back affectionately as he smiled. 

“I missed you too, Nagisa-kun.” He said, skating the rest of the way to the edge of the rink. “Still doesn’t answer my question, though.” Yuuri said while putting Nagisa carefully down on the ground again. He reached for his skate guards and put them on, stepping off the ice and instantly being engulfed in a hug from Makoto. 

Makoto was still broad shouldered and tall but now Yuuri at least reached more than his shoulders. With his skates on, he became the same height as Makoto and towered over Rin, Haru and Rei and Yuuri took pride in that. Unfortunately, usually he was still only taller than Nagisa. Yuuri was quite tall for Japanese standards but his friends always were taller than him somehow. It was his cross to bear even if he was older. 

Yuuri used to have the biggest crush on Rin growing up, although his crush was severely subsided when he first saw Victor’s skating and by consequence Victor. Victor was the reason Yuuri gave up on swimming professionally for good and focused on his career as a skater. He never looked back on his decision and he would never regret it. 

“We’re here for the Olympics.” Rin responded with an smirk and patted Yuuri’s shoulder making the skater blush. Maybe even after all this time Rin still had a bit of an effect on Yuuri and he knew that. Yuuri was just now realizing he had a thing for tall men that had odd collared hair. 

Yuuri gasped. 

“Oh my God! I totally forgot about the summer Olympics being hosted here this year!” He widened his eyes in shock and his friends chuckled. 

“That’s just because you skaters attend a different type of Olympics.” Rei stated. “Congratulations on your Olympic gold, by the way.”

Then they all went on a spree of congratulation Yuuri, who was blushing at the well-deserved praise. 

“You know, you’re the only one who got away for good.” Haru stated. “Even Rin came back eventually.” 

“I wasn’t going to be big on swimming like you guys.” Yuuri shrugged. “So I wasn’t going to drag you guys down.” 

“Yuuri, you were amazing!” Rei exclaimed. 

“But nobody can tell you chose the wrong sport.” Rin smirked. “Not when you have a plethora of medals to choose from.” 

“Yuuri was always the more artsy one between us anyways.” Makoto said smiling and scratching at his neck. 

“Yuuri!” He heard Victor calling out to him and turned his head to watch his fiancé skating towards him. Yurio was practicing but side-eyeing the new comers while Yakov was yelling at him to pay attention to what he was doing. Mila and Georgi were blatantly staring, not even pretending not to. “Who are your friends?” Victor asked smiling, putting the guards on his skates and coming to stand next to Yuuri. 

“Oh, Victor, these are my friends from middle school and high school back in Japan.” Yuuri said beaming back at the Russian. Yuuri realized then that Victor was taller than all of them, even Makoto and Rin. Having his fiancé tower over his ex-crush made Yuuri giddy for some reason that he wasn’t too keen on analyzing. “Nagisa, Rei, Makoto, Haru and Rin this is my fiancé Victor Nikiforov.” He introduced while blushing. “I guess you guys didn’t know I was gay, huh?”

They all laughed. 

“It’s great to finally meet you, Victor.” Makoto said, shaking Victor’s outstretched hand. “And Yuuri, we kinda knew all along, I mean you’ve been in love with Victor since you were like twelve.” 

Yuuri blushed even more and Victor beamed his heart shaped smile at his fiancé. 

“Oh Gosh, don’t embarrass me like that.” Yuuri groaned, hiding his flaming face on his hands. Victor chuckled and held Yuuri in his arms gently, kissing his hair to soothe his embarrassment. 

“But I love hearing how you always loved me, solnychko. It’s cute.” Victor said. 

“He talked about your hair a lot.” Nagisa said. “And how gracious you were and how he wanted to marry you and have your babies.”

“OH MY GOD, NAGISA!” Yuuri exclaimed. His friends were all laughing. “WHY DO YOU HATE ME?!” 

“I don’t think Yuuri knew how having babies worked back then.” He said giggling. “I love you, Yuuri. It’s my honor and my right as your friend to embarrass you.” 

Yuuri just pouted. 

“Aw, Yuuri!” Rin said smiling that sharky smile of his. “It was pretty cute.” 

“And it’s nice you’re going to marry your childhood crush.” Makoto said and suddenly blushed. “I’m marrying mine too.” 

It took a moment for the penny to drop in Yuuri’s mind. 

“Oh my God! Congratulations, you guys!” He walked forwards and hugged both Makoto and Haru at the same time. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you, Yuuri!” Makoto said. Haru just shrugged since he wasn’t a person of big words but he was a little red in the cheeks. 

“We came here to see you again, but also to propose you a challenge.” Rin said when Yuuri broke off the hug. 

“Oh, a challenge?” Victor perked up. Yurio stopped pretending like he wasn’t paying attention and came close to them, Mila and Georgi following him. Yakov was yelling in the distance but nobody paid mind to him. 

“Oi! Who are the losers, Katsudon?” The angst teen asked. “I’m up to any challenge you throw my way.” 

“Nobody asked you, Yura.” Mila pointed out. 

“Shut up, hag!” He yelled back. Yuuri just rolled his eyes and focused back on his friends. 

“What challenge?” He asked. 

“We want you to swim again with us.” Haru said. 

“We miss swimming with you!” Nagisa whined. 

“True.” Rei said. “So we want to ask you to meet up and swim again, when you or we aren’t busy of course.” 

“We also brought you tickets for the final, since we will definitely be there. For you and Victor.” Makoto said, handing Yuuri the tickets. The Japanese skater stared at them like it was the most amazing gift ever, clutching them to his heart. 

“That’s a lot of confidence.” Victor muttered as he picked up the tickets on Yuuri’s hand to take a look as well. They were quite similar to the Winter Olympics tickets. 

“We have a right to be confident.” Rin winked. 

“First of all, thank you so much for the tickets!” Yuuri smiled. “Vitya and I will definitely come.” Then he frowned. “But why? I’m not a swimmer anymore, I can’t even remember the last time I dived into a pool. I’m probably very rusty.” 

“You still have the legs for it, though.” Rin stated, making Yuuri blush. “Think of a figure skating meets swimming kind of deal. You can even teach us how to skate if you want.” 

Yuuri giggled.

“I don’t want to be responsible for breaking the legs of national swimming Olympic heroes.”

“Have faith in us, Yuuri.” Haru said. “We both love water, yours is just frozen.” 

“You do have a point.” Yuuri pondered. “And I guess you won’t be terrible at it, Haru. If I remember correctly you used to come to the rink with me all the time.” 

“You did?!” His friends zoomed in on the blue eyed boy, staring at him. Haru shrugged, like it was his default mode. 

“I might have told Yuuri that if he wanted to go professional, he should choose one and focus to become the best.” He said. “I knew he was going to pick figure skating.” 

His friends gasped. 

“That was why you weren’t surprised when he told us he was leaving and going to college in Detroit!” Nagisa accused, pointing a finger at Haru’s chest. He nodded. “Traitor!” He said and they all rolled their eyes. 

“He looks happy.” Haru said as he looked at a smiling Yuuri. “I stand by my decision.” 

“Thank you, Haru.” Yuuri said. “I accept your challenge. Just name the time and place and I’ll be there.” 

They cheered and Makoto almost knocked the wind out of Yuuri as he slapped his shoulder in excitement. They were all going to say something when they heard a booming voice behind them. 

“IF YOU IDIOTS DON’T COME BACK INTO THE ICE RIGHT NOW I WILL PERSONALLY DRAG YOU BACK BY YOUR EARS!” They looked back to find Yakov red in the face and furious. The Russian skaters all winced and placed their hands in their ears, remembering the last time Yakov did what he told. 

Mila, Georgi and Yurio all scurried right back. 

“We should go back.” Victor advised as he took the guards off from his skates. “You don’t want to find out how much it hurts.” He said as he glided into the ice, waving at Yuuri’s friends. 

“I have to go, guys…” Yuuri said apologetically. “But you can watch me practice if you want…?” He posed it as a question. “We can grab a coffee when I’m done, if you’re not too busy.”

They nodded as they watched Yuuri glide back into the ice as he followed his fiancé/coach. They worked pretty well together and it was easy to see why they were in a relationship. The love in their eyes even in a professional setting was hard to miss as well. Yuuri’s anxiety also seemed a little better from when he was a teen. There was days that he couldn’t even train because it was so bad and it usually turned worse during competitions. They were happy to see that he was doing better although they had seen enough of his competitions to know that he wasn’t cured. 

It was a while until Yuuri was free again but they weren’t complaining as they watched Yuuri glide in the ice so majestically, like he was a prince or something. 

“Was Yuuri always this beautiful?” Rei asked as they watched him perform an Ina Bauer flawlessly. 

“Yeah.” Rin answered. “He just couldn’t show it while swimming.” 

They went to a little café down the corner of the rink and sat in a booth, far away from the rest of the tables. Yuuri’s fiancée had tagged along of course but also Yuuri’s rink mates. The blonde teenager had glared as Nagisa sat next to Yuuri’s unoccupied side and grunted as he had to sit down next to Victor’s other side. 

“Aw, Yurio! Don’t pout, you can always sit next to Yuuri later.” Victor said with a teasing lilt to his voice. 

The boy started shouting profanities in Russian at him but Viktor, Yuuri and the rest of their rink mates just laughed like this were the usual reaction they got from him. It was a wonderful time! They reminisced old stories, embarrassed Yuuri some more and chatted about their plans for the future and professional aspirations. 

As Yuuri and Victor were walking home after the meeting in enjoyable silence Viktor broke it by asking something that made Yuuri blush furiously. “So, for how long you had a crush on Rin?”

“VITYA!” Yuuri yelped and Victor laughed, denouncing that he was not an ounce mad about it. 

“What? It’s clear for me now because I know from experience how you look when you have a crush on someone.” 

“This is so embarrassing!” Yuuri whined and Victor hugged him sideways still with amusement dripping from his tone of voice. 

“It’s not. I can understand it, he is quite handsome.” 

Yuuri sighed deeply and dropped his head on Victor’s shoulder. “I had the biggest crush on him even if I was in love with you.” He admitted. “I just thought you were inaccessible. Never in my wildest dreams I thought I would end up asking you to marry me and you would say yes.” 

“Well, I did.” He said softly. “And it is the best decision of my life.” He kissed Yuuri’s hair and the Japanese skater blushed. “So, you have a thing for tall boys with strikingly beautiful hair, huh?

“Argh! I hate you!” Yuuri pushed Victor off of him playfully while his fiancé laughed at his expense. 

“No, you don’t!” He said, coming back and hugging Yuuri again. The Japanese skater did not push him away again for the whole way home. 

 

A few days later Yuuri and Victor found themselves in the bleachers of the swim gymnasium during a sunny morning as they waited for their friends to compete. Each one of them were competing in their own modalities and they also would be competing on the relay together. Yuuri missed swimming with them because relaying on each other to win was quite different from competing solo. 

“It’s a tad interesting being in an Olympic competition as a spectator.” Victor commented behind his sunglasses and beneath his baseball cap. Even if their seats were VIP it still was easy to spot him because of his fair hair and striking features. He usually didn’t mind the attention but today he was merely accompanying Yuuri and he wanted his fiancé to have a good time without the added anxiety from fans. “Especially since I have no idea of what’s going on.” 

“It’s not that hard to follow.” Yuuri said. “You just have to look out for who finishes first.” 

“Yeah but I have no idea which one is your friend.” He said. “And even if you tell me which lane he is, I’ll probably forget and root for the wrong person.” 

Yuuri laughed. “Just root for the one who will be winning, it’ll probably be one of them.” He said confidently and Victor glanced at his fiancé. He looked incredibly excited to be there, almost giddy with the feeling. It was a good look on him, but again, Victor thought everything was a good look on Yuuri. 

“Do you miss swimming?” He asked and Yuuri looked at him again. 

“Not really.” He shrugged. “I know I made the right decision. I could never feel as free as Haru on the water and I feel it on the ice, even with my anxiety. The ice it’s what calms me.” Then he frowned. “But I miss playing relay with my friends, it’s different being part of a team and having to rely on your friends to do a good job, it involves a lot of trust.” 

“I don’t know if I would be able to be a part of a team.” Victor ponders. “I’m too much of a perfectionist to rely on someone else.” Then he smiles at Yuuri. “But I rely on you, Yuuri. Both in life and in our professional careers.” 

Yuuri blushes and isn’t able to tell anything because the swimmers started to get announced. It was a good thing too because he had no idea how to respond. 

Yuuri watched the whole competition on the edge of his seat, confident that his friends would qualify but also anxious about it. He whopped and cheered when Haru and Rin ended up in the first place and clapped and smiled when his other friends qualified. Victor couldn’t take his eyes off of him, finding Yuuri much more interesting than the competition in front of them. 

The last competition of the day would be the relay and Yuuri felt nervous as he watched the swimmers taking their places. He knew how much the relay meant to his friends and a part of him ached at the memory of long afternoons beneath the sun, training with his friends so they would swim better. 

Yuuri felt his heart beating on his throat seconds before the alarm blared and every swimmer dropped into the water. Makoto was the first to swim for the relay because he was a very strong starter and his specialty was backstroke. For the relay the old gang was competing together, so Rei sat this one out leaving the place for Rin. Rin had moved out of Japan too, like Yuuri had once done it but he would never compete for Australia as much as Yuuri would never compete to the USA. Japan was their country and it would be the country they would compete for, no excuses. 

Nagisa was the next to go and Yuuri found himself biting down on his bottom lip as Japan dropped on the board to the second place. Victor was not feeling his hand anymore because Yuuri was gripping it so tight that he feared he didn’t had the circulation anymore. Nagisa’s specialty was breaststroke and it amazed Yuuri how someone so small could be so powerful in the water. For Yuuri, Nagisa would always be the group’s baby even if he was only one year younger than them and the same age as Rey. It was just something about Nagisa that instilled in Yuuri those dad feelings. He felt the same way for Yurio now days. 

Rin was the next to go after Nagisa. They were really close to surpassing and becoming first but still it wasn’t enough. Yuuri knew Rin was capable of turning the results so Haru could finish in first. It was somehow strange seeing the two competing together instead of against each other but it was a nice change. Yuuri had been so tired of the petty remarks and the competitive aura between the two that he wasn’t ashamed to say that was part of the reason why he left after high school. When Rin went away it was a difficult time for everyone but specially for Haru. It was nice to see the two being friends again and competing together. His specialty was the butterfly swim and he was damn good at it. Yuuri remembered how young him would watch Rin for hours and marvel at his muscles glistening beneath the sun as he exited the pool. It was a wonder that Yuuri managed to not know he was gay for so long. 

Rin managed to surpass the other swimmer, taking the first place and claiming it for Japan. Yuuri’s voice was becoming hoarse of yelling so much, throwing incentives at them in their mother tongue even if he knew they couldn’t hear. Soon, it was time for Haru to compete. He was standing at the edge ready to take his place and his face was stony beneath his swimming goggles. He was entirely on focus and Yuuri got a shiver down his spine as he stared at him. This was it. That was the face every Olympic competitor did before competing. All that intensity would be etched on every athletes face one way or another and Yuuri knew that his face looked just like that before he took the ice. It was the one thing in common between all the sports, that yearning to win and to put to test everything you dedicated your life to. There was no feeling alike the one when you were on the cusp of winning a medal. As soon as Rin hit the edge of the pool, Haru was on the water, too fast for the human eye to catch. His mates were cheering him on from the edge of the pool as Rin left the water, shaking his magenta hair and looking over to where Haru was already turning over. He was in first place. 

Yuuri didn’t even realized he was shouting Haru’s name from the top of his lungs until Victor joined him in the shouting. Yuuri stopped and looked in awe at his fiancé. He was always in awe at how much he loved Victor. He was looking at Victor so he didn’t see when the competition ended. He only realized that his friends had won because Victor turned to him with one of his famous heart shaped grins and hugged him tightly as they cheered in unison with the rest of the people gathered there. 

Later in the evening they went out for drinks to celebrate and Yuuri sat there completely pleased with how his life had turned out. Victor was a bit tipsy by now so he was telling a story with a lot of gesticulating while his other arm was draped around Yuuri’s shoulders. His friends were laughing at his antics and his stories and Yuuri was happy that they were getting along. Being professional athletes made them have something in common even if they were from different modalities. He hadn’t realized he was staring at Victor with a tiny smile on his face until Rin said quietly besides him:

“Wow, you really love him, huh?” Yuuri turned around to him and Rin had his face resting on his palm as he watched the two of them. “I’m happy for you, Yuuri.”

Yuuri blushed despite himself. “Thank you, Rin.” Then he smiled. “And you’re right, I really do love him.” 

“It’s easy to see.” He smiled. “I wish it was that easy with me and Sousuke.” Rin sighed. 

Yuuri frowned. “You guys are having problems?” 

It was not a secret amongst them that Sousuke was Rin’s one true love since high school. Not that the two acknowledged that fact. They were stubborn like that. 

“It’s just hard, living apart and all.” He said. “He’s still recovering from his surgery so he isn’t being able to swim just yet and that frustrates him a lot.” 

“I bet.” Yuuri nodded. He too would be feeling frustrated if he couldn’t skate and living apart from Victor. “The living arrangements will sort themselves out eventually. Trust me.” He said. “I spent a whole summer away from Victor before moving out here and it drove us insane, but eventually everything worked out and I’m sure it will for you two too.” He smiled. “In regards to the surgery… There’s nothing either of you can do until he recovers fully. For someone who thought he could never swim again before the surgery now he at least have good prospects that he will come back to the water eventually.” 

“Never knew you were a glass half-full kind of guy, Yuuri.” Rin chuckled and Yuuri laughed too. 

“I’m not usually.” He said sincerely. “I mostly always think about the worst case scenario but only if it’s regarding me.” He shrugged. “I usually have a more positive attitude towards others.” 

“When did you turned out so wise?”

“College.” Yuuri deadpanned and Rin bursted out laughing. “I had to be or else my roommate Phichit would have killed us with his insane ideas.” 

“I’m glad we could reconnect.” Rin said with a smile on his face. “I usually need someone wise around.” 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “Mainly because you are also full with insane ideas.” 

“Oh, definitely.” He smiled that shark smile of his and Yuuri tsked, throwing himself back into the conversation with the rest of the table. 

It was only a week later when they could get together again, this time at the public pool that they had closed for the day so the Olympic team could train. Which was a lie because Yuuri wasn’t a part of the Japanese Olympic Team but nobody needed to know that. There he went along with Victor and somehow Yurio, since he told them that he wouldn’t miss this for the world and that he hoped Yuuri would drown. When they reached the location, his friends were already there, with their swim shorts and swimming goggles. Haru was, of course, doing laps in the pool while Makoto stretched and Nagisa, Rin and Rei talked on the edge of the pool. 

“Yuuri!” Rei was the first to see him and waved as the others turned around to look at him with smiles on their faces. 

“Good morning.” He waved back. “I have no idea what I’m doing here.” 

“Good morning, Victor and Yurio!” Nagisa said enthusiastically. Victor said it back with a smile while Yurio just grumbled and went to the bleachers so he could sit down. 

“Did you bring your swim shorts?” Rin asked as he watched Haru get out of the pool to come greet them. 

“Yes, but I’m not sure they fit me anymore.” Yuuri said. “The last time I even looked at them was in high school.” 

“Oh yeah, you were a bit chubby back then.” Rin nodded. “You can use one of mine if you want, I always bring an extra.” 

Yuuri blushed. “Let me change first and I’ll let you know.”

Twenty minutes later and Yuuri was wearing his old high school swim shorts, completely amazed that they still fit. 

“WOW, YUURI!” Nagisa exclaimed as soon as he saw Yuuri coming by the pool. “You definitely didn’t have those abs in high school.” Yuuri instantly blushed as all his friends stared at his naked torso. 

“Yeah, well…” Yuuri scratched his neck in embarrassment. “Back then I didn’t have a personal tormentor as a coach.” 

“Aw, Yuuri. You’re so mean.” Victor whined, even going as far as putting a hand on his chest like he was a Victorian lady clutching his pearls. “But he is right. When I became his coach I didn’t let him put his foot on the ice until he lost some weight.” He nodded. “Chubby Yuuri is equally as adorable as abs Yuuri though.” He smiled at Yuuri who smiled back. Yuuri knew Victor only got on his nerves about his weight because of competition and not because he thought Yuuri was ugly when fat. Victor loved Yuuri in all shapes and sizes and that was comforting to Yuuri, because he would definitely not maintain this weight when he retired. 

“Shall we begin?” Rin clapped his eyes and smiled excitedly. 

“I might need to do some laps first.” Yuuri said as he put his foot into the water to test the temperature. “I don’t even remember the last time I entered a pool. Might have been years ago.” 

“You never join me on hotel pools.” Victor nodded. “So I have no idea either.” 

“Do you swim, Victor?” Rei asked as they watch Yuuri enter the water and start doing laps. From here, Victor could see that Yuuri was just as graceful on the water as he was on the ice. 

“Sporadically.” He shrugs. “I mostly just like to float on water when I have the time and ponder about my life.” 

“I do that a lot.” Haru said as he was toweling himself off. “The water is a good place to think.” 

“It is.” Victor nodded. “He is really good.” He says about Yuuri as his fiancé turns around on the water and makes their way back in a perfect butterfly stroke. 

“He is but he’s better on the ice though.” Haru says. “Yuuri has a certain grace about him that would be wasted in competitive swimming.” 

“Not if he dedicated his life to synchronized swimming.” Makoto said with an amused smile. 

“Too much of a team sport.” Rin said. “Yuuri was meant to shine on his own.” 

“Can you guys stop talking about me and join me on the water?” Yuuri said as he splashed water on his friends. Nobody had noticed that he had finished doing laps. Victor whined as he was splashed in the onslaught as well. 

“Yuuri!” He said. “This is a Burberry coat.” He said as he patted his light grey coat. Victor was definitely not dressed for a day spent on the edge of a pool since he was wearing a Burberry coat, a Gucci sweater, Ralph Lauren trousers and Louboutin shoes paired with Prada shades. He looked like he fell right out of a Vogue Magazine. 

Yuuri rolled his eyes at his Extra™ fiancé. “You know, you could have brought some swim shorts and join us.” 

“No, thank you.” Victor said, pushing his sunglasses up on his face and placing them on his hair. “My hair can only endure so much chorine.” 

Yurio scoffed from where he was watching them on the bleachers. “Oh yeah, I’m sure bleach and chlorine doesn’t mix well.” 

Victor gasped in offense and everybody laughed. “Excuse me, this is my natural hair color.” He clutched his imaginary pearls again. 

“Oh yeah, old man. Keep telling yourself that.” Yuri snorted. He knew Victor’s infuriating hair was actually his natural color but he loved to tease him about it no matter what. “I can see your roots from up here.” 

Victor gasped and clutched at his hair dramatically. 

“Yurio!” Yuuri said, holding his belly from all the laughter. “Stop teasing Victor!” He said with an amused smile on his face as he watched his fiancé turn to him with a smile. 

“Thank you for defending my honor, Yuuri!” He said but squinted his eyes as Yuuri smirked at him from his place on the pool. 

“You know what that does to his blood pressure, you should look after your elders.” He said, causing everybody to burst in laughter again. Yurio clutching his sides as he howled from his place on the bleachers, even going as far as laying on his side with tears of joy streaming down his face. 

Victor gasped in mock offense. “Yuuri! You’re so mean to me, shame on you!” He whined. 

Yuuri walked out of the pool, dripping water everywhere as he walked towards his fiancé. “I’m sorry, Vitya.” He pouted. “I couldn’t resist.” He placed his wet hands on Victor’s hips, not caring if he was dampening Victor’s expensive coat. “I’ll make it up to you later.” He smiled at him and Victor smiled back. 

“You better.” He said as he placed his hand on Yuuri’s damp hair and kissed him, receiving gagging noises from the bleachers. They broke the kiss with little smiles and Victor lightly slapped Yuuri’s bottom. “Go get them.” He said and Yuuri went to the pool again with a little swing on his step. Victor went over to the bleachers and sat down next to Yurio. 

“You’re all damp.” He said with a scowl. Victor looked down and realized that his clothes were all damp from where Yuuri pressed his wet body against his. He shrugged, not caring one bit about it. “Gosh, you’re whipped.” Yurio muttered but lacking his usual venom. 

Victor sighed dreamily. “Yes, I am.” He smiled. “Happily so.” 

Victor didn’t see Yurio’s tiny smile so his reputation was still intact. 

Yuuri and his friends started with amicable little races against each other to build up to the actual relay, while one of them timed out of the water, switching when it came to their time. 

“You have a better time now than you did in high school, I’m impressed.” Rin said as he looked at Yuuri’s time against Nagisa. 

“I’m blaming his thighs for this.” Nagisa said and Yuuri blushed. “I bet he could crush a watermelon between them.” 

They all looked at Yuuri with a clear question in their eyes. “I’m neither denying it nor confirming it.” 

“Wow.” Makoto mutters. “Victor is in danger for his life.” 

“It would be a fantastic way to go!” He yelled out from the bleachers while Yurio groaned and hid his face in his hands, too embarrassed to curse at them for being “gross”. 

“VICTOR!” Yuuri yells back at him, flushing like a ripe tomato. 

“I’m vindicated!” He yells back with a smug smirk on his face. 

“JUST SWIM FOR GOD’S SAKE!” Yurio yells out, after looking up again. 

“Yurio is right.” Yuuri says. “Let’s do this.” 

In the end, Rei was the one that stayed out of the water to time it. Victor had offered to time for them but Rei dismissed him saying that he wasn’t part of the original relay and should leave the guys to swim together again for old time’s sake. They would start with Makoto for a strong take-off, followed by Nagisa, then Yuuri, then Rin and finally Haru, just like they used to do in middle school. Makoto positioned himself and as soon as Rei gave the signal he jumped into the water, swimming like an orca, fast and deadly. 

Victor would later admit to Yuuri that he only took notice when Yuuri and Haru swam because they were the more enthralling to watch. The whole thing finished pretty fast, if Victor was honest. Of course it was a race but still. Yuuri stood out for him because Victor was in love with him but also because Yuuri was extremely gracious even under water. His arms cut so gently on the water that almost appeared like he was floating instead of swimming. He made it look effortless. Haru on the other hand also made it look effortless but in a fierce kind of way. He looked just as deadly as Makoto but if Makoto was an orca, then Haru was a dolphin. His free style was powerful and even if Victor didn’t knew a single thing about professional swimming, he would know from just looking at Haru that he was the best Olympic swimmer of this season, and he dared to say the best of the best. It was interesting to watch how Yuuri fit between them and Victor shivered at the thought of Yuuri pursuing a career in swimming and never meeting him. Yuuri certainly had the skills to have done it. Victor had never felt more blessed to have met Yuuri than right now. 

“Oh wow!” Rei exclaimed as Haru tapped on the edge of the pool, finishing their race. “This is an amazing time.” 

Yuuri squinted at the chronometer in Rei’s hands since he didn’t have his glasses on and gasped. “This is an amazing time!” He exclaimed, emphasizing the “is”. “I mean, not good enough for Olympic gold but definitely at least some bronze national’s. I’ll take it.” 

“Having second thoughts, Katsuki?” Rin teased as he helped Haru out of the pool, not that Haru need the help. 

“Not a chance in the world.” He smiled as he glanced at Victor and Yurio making their way towards them. 

“I am impressed, Katsudon.” Yurio muttered. “That was half decent.” 

“Aww, Yurio! Are you complimenting me? How cute!” Yuuri seized the boy in a bear hug, leaving him completely wet as the boy squealed and cursed at him. Nobody commented in how Yurio hugged him back and did not attempt to leave the hug, no matter how many profanities he yelled. 

Everybody laughed as the scene unfolded and Haru watched with a little smile as he toweled himself off. “Yuuri is right at home.” He said.

**Author's Note:**

> Ps. this might have been inspired by those videos of the Olympic channel on youtube where they put people from different sports doing each other's sports.


End file.
